1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to dynamic user interfaces and more specifically to reordering groups of user interface elements accessing a highly structured document.
2. Introduction
A graphical user interface can display input controls (such as fields, menus, radio buttons) and fixed data (such as labels or values). In many cases these elements relate to other elements, such as the relation between a person and their telephone number. This related information can co-exist on a single interface with other items which can be similarly grouped by their relation to other elements. For example, a “contact” grouping includes fields for a name and phone number. A “product” grouping includes fields for the model, size, or other specifications related to the product.
User interface designers separate these groups of data into individual sections to facilitate organization and instill an understanding of their interrelated nature in users. Various graphical cues exist for grouping similar items, including separator lines, columns of related items, and clusters of related items in distinct sections of a display. Interface slices are often applied to the latter method. Slices are a portion of a user interface where the user interface elements within the slice are related to each other.
FIG. 2 illustrates one exemplary static approach 200 to slices. FIG. 2 shows sections labeled “General” 202, “More Info” 204, “Name & Extension” 206, and “Sharing & Permissions” 208 among others. Each of these sections illustrates the general concept of a slice. The order of the slices in this example is fixed. This illustration includes triangles or arrows 210 to collapse or expand sections. This approach can reduce the graphical footprint of the interface and allow the user to view only certain slices.
However, this approach requires each user to interact with the same interface regardless of their preference or focus. For example, a user who primarily uses the “Sharing & Permissions” section 208 located at the bottom of the window must navigate past various other sections in order to reach the “Sharing & Permissions” section 208. The triangles or arrows 210 mitigate some of this problem by collapsing undesired portions, but also limit the user in that they are unable to see other information when necessary without performing an action to disclose the section. This is a disadvantage when the user wants to see a different section of the window often, though it is not their primary focus. This approach also requires application designers to provide a one-size-fits-all interface calculated to probably suit most users' expected needs, but cannot possibly suit all users' actual needs.